Two Greeley men charged with running multi-million dollar cocaine ring

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The Oklahoma Highway Patrol displays 40 bricks of cocaine weighing 37.6 kilograms. The drugs were seized while en route to a distribution warehouse in Atlanta from a drug smuggling organization's headquarters in Greeley.

Georgia Department of Public Safety officers display 40 bricks of cocaine seized Oct. 9, 2017, from a CANUSAMEX semi truck. The company is owned by Julian Anchondo-Galaviz, who prosecutors say is number 2 in command of an international cocaine-smuggling operation based in Greeley.

Georgia Department of Public Safety officers display 40 bricks of cocaine seized Oct. 9, 2017, from a CANUSAMEX semi truck. The company is owned by Julian Anchondo-Galaviz, who prosecutors say is number 2 in command of an international cocaine-smuggling operation based in Greeley. (Photos courtesy of Colorado Attorney General’s office)Two Greeley men, accused of leading a highly-sophisticated international drug smuggling ring, were arrested this past month in a multi-jurisdictional operation that also netted six other suspects and the seizure of 134 kilos of cocaine.The operation, dubbed White Whale, was launched in April 2017 by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Denver Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, according to a Colorado Attorney General news release. Operation White Whale was conducted in conjunction with the West Metro Drug Task Force, which is comprised of investigators from the Arvada, Golden, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge police departments.The operation ended this past month with 16 indictments, 8 arrests and the seizure of $5.3 million worth of cocaine, as well as $1.2 million in cash.Julian Anchondo-Galaviz, Jesus Arevalo-ArvizoAmong those arrested were Jesus Arevalo-Arvizo, 38, of Greeley, who prosecutors say was the leader of the drug-smuggling ring. Arevalo-Arvizo was named in all nine counts of the 18-page indictment and faces charges that include racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.Prosecutors say Arevalo-Arvizo oversaw an international operation that smuggled cocaine into the U.S. from Mexico. The cocaine was then transported to Tommie Leon Walker, the head of a distribution network in Atlanta, according to the indictment.Members of the illegal enterprise at times utilized semi-trailer trucks from a Colorado-based trucking company to transport the cocaine throughout the southern U.S., the release stated. Prosecutors say Julian Anchondo-Galaviz, 44, also of Greeley, dedicated semis from his over-the-road trucking business, CANUSAMEX Transportation LLC, to move cocaine to Atlanta from Greeley – at least until early October 2017.That month, Samuel Anchondo-Galaviz, Julian’s brother, left Greeley in a CANUSAMEX semi bound for Atlanta. On Oct. 9, 2017, Samuel was stopped by the Georgia Department of Public Safety on Interstate 285 near Cascade Road with 37 kilos of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment of the semi trailer. Samuel was arrested just 13 miles away from Walker’s distribution warehouse at 609 Cordell Dr. in Atlanta.[swift-infobox title=”What’s next?”]This past month, two Greeley men were among eight suspects arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Five of those suspects have appearances scheduled in Weld District Court:

[/swift-infobox]CANUSAMEX Transportation LLC was voluntarily dissolved on Jan. 5, 2015, according to Colorado Secretary of State records. Its physical address was listed as 203 26th Ave. in Greeley, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 200015 in Evans.However, according to U.S. Department of Transportation records, CANUSAMEX’s fleet of four semis is authorized to haul general freight and construction materials across state lines. USDOT lists a business address of 509 54th Ave. in Greeley and a mailing address of 3620 W. 10th St., Unit B, also in Greeley.The drug-smuggling organization coordinated most of its moves by cellphone, using a sophisticated system of codes to conceal their operations to any potential listeners, according to the indictment. The group used a variety of methods -including concealing bank currency in load vehicles and utilizing wire remittances – to transfer drug proceeds back to their sources of supply in Mexico.The drug trafficking organization also utilized money-laundering operations run by Chinese Nationals to launder the proceeds through Chinese banks and back to Mexico, the release stated.The Colorado State Grand Jury returned on Aug. 13 the indictment against the 16 defendants. The Denver DEA Strike Force Group, in coordination with federal, state and local agencies across the country, executed search warrants, which netted eight of the 16 suspects.Weld County will serve as the venue for all 16 cases. The Weld District Attorney’s Office will be assisting the Attorney General’s Office with the prosecutions, the release stated. Of the eight suspects arrested last month, five already have appearances scheduled in Weld District Court.– Joe Moylan covers crime and public safety for The Greeley Tribune. Reach him at jmoylan@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-4467 or on Twitter @JoeMoylan.